Slideshow: Hurricane Irene

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has lifted an evacuation order after
forecasters downgraded Hurricane Irene to a tropical storm on Sunday morning
just before it hit New York.

Around 370,000 people will be allowed to legally return to their homes in
low-lying areas of the city from 3pm eastern time (8pm GMT).

However, officials have said that damage will need to be assessed before New
York’s buses and subways resume normal service. Mayor Bloomberg said this
could be as late as Monday afternoon.

The National Hurricane Center based in Miami downgraded the storm when its
winds fell to 65 miles per hour on Sunday morning but forecasters said that
Irene still posed a serious threat of a storm surge of up to eight feet in
coastal areas from Virginia to Massachusetts. Isolated tornadoes in New York
and inland areas were also possible.